Beware! These are all recognized first-class carcinogens! They are hard to detect, and you may have them in your home...

This article was reviewed by Pa Li Ze, chief physician of nutrition, member of the Science Popularization Committee of the Chinese Nutrition Society

I heard that the human body has 5 chances of getting cancer every day?

Don't be nervous yet

The body's self-protection mechanism

It will help you eliminate most of the dangers.

But in daily life

Dangerous carcinogens are everywhere

Where are they usually hidden?

Let’s find these places in your home!

Learn more

Classification of carcinogens

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an agency under the World Health Organization, divides carcinogens into five categories: 1, 2A, 2B, 3, and 4 according to their carcinogenic risk to humans.

Class 1 carcinogens, also known as "confirmed carcinogens," are those for which there is sufficient evidence to prove that they are carcinogenic to humans.

As of October 2017, there are 124 members on the list of Class 1 carcinogens! The ones closest to you and often appear around you are mainly the following: aflatoxin, formaldehyde, nicotine, nitrosamines (the precursor substance is nitrite, that is, nitrite is converted into nitrosamines under certain conditions), benzopyrene, betel nut, alcohol, etc.

Source: China Anti-Cancer Association "Mastering Cancer Prevention Knowledge"

Aflatoxins

The strongest biological carcinogen

1 mg of aflatoxin is a carcinogenic dose!

It is the most powerful biological carcinogen we know of.

Common sources of aflatoxins↓↓

01

Moldy peanuts and corn

Aflatoxin is hidden in moldy foods, especially foods with high starch content, such as cereals. The rice, millet, and beans we often eat, especially in a hot and humid environment, will fall into its clutches once they become moldy.

02

Nuts that become bitter due to improper storage

The bitter taste of nuts such as melon seeds comes from aflatoxin produced during the moldy process. Frequent intake will increase the risk of liver cancer.

03

Spoiled rice

Don’t think you can relax your vigilance once it’s cooked. Rice that has been steamed or cooked with aged rice is most likely to produce aflatoxin!

04

Chopsticks for long-term use

Chopsticks themselves will not grow aflatoxin, but starch is easily hidden in uncleaned chopsticks. In a humid and warm environment, they are prone to mold and produce aflatoxin.

05

Peanut oil

Small workshops may at most roughly filter out impurities before pressing oil, but aflatoxin cannot be observed with the naked eye and may be present in seeds that are not obviously moldy. Simple oil pressing processes cannot handle or remove it.

06

Low-quality sesame paste

In order to reduce costs, some businesses use braned sesame seeds, shrunken peanuts, or even spoiled sesame seeds and peanuts as raw materials. The spoiled peanuts contain aflatoxin.

Benzopyrene

Can induce various cancers

Animal experiments prove

Long-term inhalation or ingestion

Foods high in benzopyrene

Can easily induce lung cancer, liver cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, etc.

Common sources of benzopyrene↓↓

01

High temperature fried foods

Repeated use of high-temperature vegetable oils, over-fried, stir-fried, and smoked foods will produce benzopyrene. The content of benzopyrene in burnt foods is 10 to 20 times higher than that in ordinary foods.

02

Cooking fumes

According to measurements, the fumes produced when cooking oil is heated to 270 degrees Celsius contain compounds such as benzopyrene. The most wrong way to do this is to wait until the oil in the pan is smoking before putting the food in! After frying a dish, continue frying without washing the pan! Both of these practices are likely to produce benzopyrene.

03

Grilled and smoked meat

The charcoal used for smoking and grilling contains a small amount of benzopyrene, which may enter the food along with the smoke at high temperatures. On the other hand, the incomplete combustion of sugar and fat contained in the smoked fish or meat itself can also produce benzopyrene.

04

Ink

The carbon black in ink contains several carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, especially benzopyrene. When the ink on some food packaging paper is not dry, it will directly contaminate the food. Many people like to wrap strawberries, cabbages, etc. in newspapers to keep them fresh, which makes it easier to come into contact with benzopyrene.

Nitrosamines

Toxic, indirectly carcinogenic

Nitrite enters the body

Combines with protein decomposition products in the stomach

Formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines

Common sources of ammonium nitrite↓↓

01

Overnight dishes

Leftovers will produce toxic substances if left for too long. Some overnight dishes, especially overnight green leafy vegetables, not only have low nutritional value, but also produce pathogenic nitrites.

02

Processed meat

Foods treated with nitrites, such as processed meats such as sausages, ham, and bacon, also contain carcinogenic nitrosamines and should not be consumed frequently.

03

Pickled Food

Pickles, salted fish, and bacon, these high-salt pickled foods contain large amounts of nitrates, which are highly carcinogenic after turning into nitrosamines in the body.

04

Hot Pot Soup

Experiments have determined that the content of amino acids and amines in hot pot soup is relatively high, which is very likely to synthesize nitrosamine carcinogens with nitrite under heating conditions.

formaldehyde

Carcinogenic and teratogenic

Research shows

The release of formaldehyde is a slow and long process

This release period lasts for 10 to 15 years.

It can cause teratogenic and carcinogenic hazards to the human body

Common sources of formaldehyde↓↓

01

Joint glue in decoration

Experiments have shown that no matter how good the materials are, formaldehyde may remain for a long time as long as urea-formaldehyde resin glue is used. Urea-formaldehyde resin glue is the grout glue used in house decoration, and is used in corners and joints of doors, windows, furniture, floors, etc.

02

Poor quality clothing

When buying clothes, you should first smell whether there is any peculiar smell. If there is a pungent smell on the clothes, most of these clothes contain excessive formaldehyde.

03

Car mats

In August 2015, a test conducted by the market supervision department of Ningbo City on car mats showed that among the 22 randomly purchased car mat samples, 17 groups had formaldehyde concentrations exceeding the limit, with the most serious one exceeding 127.3 times.

04

Poor quality imitation porcelain tableware

Inferior quality imitation porcelain tableware is produced directly with urea-formaldehyde resin instead of melamine resin. It is formed by a chemical reaction between urea and formaldehyde. This substance is highly toxic, easily soluble in water and releases formaldehyde gas.

Notice!

Other common carcinogens

01

nicotine

90% of lung cancer is related to smoking. It can be said that smoking is the culprit of lung cancer. Assuming that the probability of an average person getting lung cancer is 1, the probability of a heavy smoker getting cancer is 17 times that of an ordinary non-smoker.

02

Ethanol

The British scientific monthly journal Addiction points out that alcohol can cause cancer and is associated with at least seven types of cancer: oropharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer and breast cancer.

03

Air pollution

At the end of 2013, the World Health Organization clearly listed air particulate matter (including PM2.5) as a Class I carcinogen.

04

Betel nut

About 60% of oral cancer patients are related to eating betel nuts. In areas such as Hunan and Hainan where oral cancer is prevalent, local people like to eat betel nuts very much.

Finally, I need to explain

Exposure to these carcinogens does not mean

It will definitely cause cancer

But to reduce the risk of cancer

In daily life

Avoid it if you can.

Source: Health Times (ID: jksb2013)

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